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Mental Health Naturally: A Holistic Guide to Feeling Better Inside and Out

Maybe you’re trying to manage a full schedule, support loved ones, or navigate daily life – no matter which challenges you face daily, your mental health plays a crucial role in how you think, feel, and function. Each May, Mental Health Awareness Month serves as a timely reminder that mental health is not a side issue; it’s central to our overall well-being. Consider the possibilities – how great would your day be with even a little improvement in your mental health?

 

If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. Stigma still exists despite growing mental health awareness. Sadly, this often prevents people from speaking openly or seeking help.

 

Could an underutilized approach offer solutions? Holistic nutrition focuses on the mind, body and spirit, recognizing that wellness is integrated into multiple facets of your life. Sleep, stress, work, relationships, food, and daily movement impact how you feel. Mental health is considered as important as nutrition or physical activity in functional holistic nutrition. Let’s explore evidence-backed ways you could improve your mental health naturally today!

 

Can You Improve Your Mental Health, Naturally?

Improving your mental health can be easier than you think. Many effective strategies are accessible, affordable, and easily incorporated into your lifestyle. You can start right now!

  • Tune in to how you’re feeling.
  • Are you frequently overwhelmed, irritated, or fatigued?
  • These could be signs your mental health needs attention.

Researchers have found that checking in daily with your feelings can be a helpful first step in mental health improvement. If you’re mental health isn’t the greatest, there are things you can do.

 

7 Ways to Naturally Improve Mental Health

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are an abundance of ways to improve mental health naturally. The most effective natural strategies are those that promote balance across body systems.

 

  1. Prioritize sleep: Aim for 7–9 hours per night. Poor sleep quality makes mental health harder to achieve, according to a review of 65 scientific studies.

 

  1. Move your body: Regular physical activity can improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. While the best exercise for mental health isn’t going to be the same for each person, moderate-intensity exercise done in a supportive, group setting appears to have great benefits for mental health. Research suggests regular physical activity is a powerful, natural tool for boosting mood and supporting mental health.

 

  1. Eat nutrient-rich foods: Your brain needs the right fuel to function optimally. Evidence shows what you eat impacts how you feel. Known as good mood foods, certain foods are more likely to improve mental health naturally than others. On the other hand, eating ultra-processed foods is linked with poor mental health. Certain nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, B vitamins, and antioxidants are critical for brain health.
  2. Mindfulness Practices: Meditation, yoga, and gratitude journaling may help you better cope with stress, according to research. Recent evidence suggests future research will look into how mindfulness practices may reduce the reactivity of the amygdala, the brain’s fear center.

 

  1. Go Out in Nature: Does nature improve mental health? Absolutely. Exposure to natural environments is a no-cost, powerful way to alleviate stress. Time spent in green spaces has been shown in a number of studies to reduce anxiety, increase mood-boosting neurotransmitters, and lower blood pressure. Take a walk in the park during your lunch break or after dinner. Keep indoor plants in your office. Try grounding or “earthing” (walking barefoot on natural surfaces, such as grass or sand). Even the use of natural elements, such as wood or stone, in workspaces appears to lower stress in research studies. Take a daily walk in a park or wooded area. You could keep indoor plants in your office as another way to improve mental health naturally.

 

  1. Breathwork and Deep Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system – your rest and digest system. In studies, the use of breathing interventions was found to lower cortisol (stress levels).

 

  1. Adaptogenic Herbs: Herbs like ashwagandha, rhodiola, and holy basil help regulate your body’s stress response. While the typical onset of stress is a response that can feel like a crazy rollercoaster ride, adaptogens can help moderate these extremes. Meanwhile, adaptogens can be energizing during chronic stress, a time when many can feel exhausted. Studies have shown that adaptogens can reduce anxiety and fatigue.

 

Should You Set Mental Health Goals? A How-To Guide 

Working on your mental health can lead to incredible benefits in your life. But, where do you start? Discover the benefits of setting mental health goals and strategies that help you achieve them. Here are 3 goals for mental health worth setting and how to achieve them:

  1. Emotional Regulation: Helps you learn to identify and process your emotions, leading to better resilience in difficult situations than the vulnerability experienced when you suppress them. Techniques like journaling, breathwork, and counselling can help.
  2. Resilience Building: Develop the ability to bounce back after challenges. With resilience, you’re able to better handle the challenges life throws at you. To get there, work on building a stronger support network, practice mindfulness and self-compassion.
  3. Mental Clarity: In stressful situations, it can be hard to maintain focus, make decisions, and learn new things. With mental clarity, you can do this better. Finding ways to lower anxiety in stressful moments, such as deep breathing or grounding techniques, can help. Of note, brain fog, forgetfulness, or indecisiveness may signal nutritional imbalances or chronic stress.

Can You Fix Anxiety, Naturally?

Understanding the root causes is essential. Nutrient deficiencies, gut health imbalances, chronic inflammation, trauma, and lifestyle stressors can all contribute to anxiety. Working with a holistic practitioner—such as a CSNN-trained holistic nutritionist—can help identify personalized root causes and offer comprehensive, non-invasive solutions that don’t rely solely on medication.

 

Can You Fix Depression, Naturally?

Sadly, depression impacts many lives. Luckily, some natural strategies are linked with lower rates of depressive feelings, such as exercise. In fact, over 41 studies have been completed – scientific-evidence supports that exercise can help those experiencing depression. Exercise can mitigate the harmful effects of other stressors when performed at moderate intensities. This is made possible by the changes in blood flow that occur during exercise, as well as the release of helpful, feel-good neurotransmitters.

 

How to Improve Mental Health Awareness

The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition is passionate about enhancing mental health awareness and educating future wellness leaders with a holistic mindset. At CSNN, students don’t just learn about vitamins and meal planning, they discover the root causes of illness and how emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects play a role in wellness.

 

Whether you’re a curious beginner or are considering a career as a holistic nutritionist, CSNN offers:

 

You Can Improve Your Mental Health (And, Help Others)

You don’t need to be a therapist to make a difference. By prioritizing your own mental health, you inspire others to do the same. You create ripple effects of compassion, clarity, and calm in your community.

 

If you’re ready to learn how a holistic understanding of health can help improve mental health naturally, consider learning with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

 

Start making mental health your priority today! Explore how at www.csnn.ca

 

References:

 

Daily survey participation and positive changes in mental health symptom scores among Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cadets. Front Psychol. 2023 Aug 4;14:1145194.

A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Dec;60:101556.

Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Aug;57(16):1049-1057.

Exercise and mental health: many reasons to move. Neuropsychobiology. 2009;59(4):191-8.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 21;14(13):2568.

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Disorders as Well as the Protective Effects of Dietary Components. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 23;15(14):3258.

The Effectiveness of Rhodiola rosea L. Preparations in Alleviating Various Aspects of Life-Stress Symptoms and Stress-Induced Conditions-Encouraging Clinical Evidence. Molecules. 2022 Jun 17;27(12):3902.

Nature in the Office: A Systematic Review of Nature Elements and Their Effects on Worker Stress Response. Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Oct 27;11(21):2838.

Amygdala-driven apnea and the chemoreceptive origin of anxiety. Biol Psychol. 2022 Apr;170:108305.

The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol. 2017 Jun 6;8:874.